Rent review delayed, what to do?

[merc_fintail]

Our 5 yearly rent review should have taken place early January and we received a letter from our commercial landlord with the contact details of a guy who will be handling the case. After receiving an email from him asking to contact him, I did just that. He answered the call and stated that he has done the figures and will send the proposal by Monday (five weeks ago!) I told him that I will appoint a Survayor to look at it and take it from there, to which he responded that its not that much higher and we probably don't need a surveyor. (unfortunately our surveyor has retired anyway)

I have had no correspondence since this first point of contact five weeks ago. This person who is acting on behalf of the Landlord is ghosting me, no response to anything, emails, calls etc.

Our rent is 13k a year and the maintenance charge has gone from around £180 a-quarter to £600! so I'm keen to get a surveyor to look at it all, I digress.

I am not sure what I should do about the rent review if I am getting no response. Do I need to force it? Ignore it? or what?

Many thanks.

Paul

 

[fisicx]

You get your solicitor to write to the landlord pointing out the clause in the lease and the legal requirement for a rent review. Your contract is with the landlord not whoever they appoint to do the review.

 

[WaveJumper]

As above speak to your solicitor don't let it drag on and remember what ever is agreed is going to be back dated

 

[merc_fintail]

You get your solicitor to write to the landlord pointing out the clause in the lease and the legal requirement for a rent review. Your contract is with the landlord not whoever they appoint to do the review.

I will get on it. Thanks

 

[merc_fintail]

Our 5 yearly rent review should have taken place early January and we received a letter from our commercial landlord with the contact details of a guy who will be handling the case. After receiving an email from him asking to contact him, I did just that. He answered the call and stated that he has done the figures and will send the proposal by Monday (five weeks ago!) I told him that I will appoint a Survayor to look at it and take it from there, to which he responded that its not that much higher and we probably don't need a surveyor. (unfortunately our surveyor has retired anyway)

I have had no correspondence since this first point of contact five weeks ago. This person who is acting on behalf of the Landlord is ghosting me, no response to anything, emails, calls etc.

Our rent is 13k a year and the maintenance charge has gone from around £180 a-quarter to £600! so I'm keen to get a surveyor to look at it all, I digress.

I am not sure what I should do about the rent review if I am getting no response. Do I need to force it? Ignore it? or what?

Many thanks.

Paul

I managed to get a response after pressing the landlord.

They want to increase my rent from £13600 PA to £21'000!!! Around 55% increase! The service charge has trebled in the last four years also.

 

[Michael Loveridge]

They can't just impose whatever rent they want. Your lease will contain some form of mechanism for determining the rent, probably by appointing an independent surveyor to be nominated by the RICS.

But before invoking that provision it's probably worth speaking to a local commercial surveyor and getting their views on an appropriate rent, as you may well be able to negotiate an acceptable rent without the expense of having it independently determined.